Fast Foodie: Flagstop Café

The Flagstop Café on I-10 near Fair Oaks seems to straddle two worlds. Its clientele appears to be almost equally made up of folks from the posh developments nearby and the folks whose farms and ranches are being bought up so that posh can prevail — plus some workers from both realms. Most of the menu is made up of fried chicken, burgers, and sandwiches — yet you are entreated to "try our delicious croissant breakfast sandwich." Or breakfast tacos, as you prefer.

I did notice diners having eggs and pancakes at lunch, but the Thursday special of two pieces of mixed fried chicken seemed to represent the restaurant's true soul. And the chicken just happens to be pretty good — maybe not as good as your grandma's, but generous, flaky, and moist. For the record, the dark meat was best — but then it usually is. I'm a sucker for fried okra, and Flagstop's is just fine, too, despite the almost unnaturally green color that was revealed beneath a light, cornmeal coating. The potato salad rated a resounding fair to middlin'.

You place your order at the counter here, so there's no interaction with crusty, old waitresses, but there's plenty of homespun hokum on the walls in compensation. "If you want a stable relationship, get a horse," proclaims one plaque. Yee haw. But I'd hate for places such as this to go away in the march of mini-mansions. If the brownies were just a little better, I might think of more excuses to drive west. Cheese enchiladas "with lots of Texas-style chili" might not be another serious enticement, but the meatloaf could be.